Join us this Saturday from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. for the Farmers’ Market. Offering all kinds of organic vegetables and fruit, and baked goods, New Morning Farm returns to Taylor St. at Brookville Road this weekend. They have several other outposts in the area at Dupont Circle where they have been serving that population for decades and at the Sheridan School. We are thrilled to have them here in Chevy Chase every Saturday.

For those of you who can’t walk, there is ample parking at LaFerme restaurant. They have graciously offered that space for shoppers at the Farmers’ Market. Don’t forget to patronize our wonderful shops on Brookville Rd as well.

We need to attract as many shoppers as possible so that it’s worth their while to serve our communities, so come visit, buy some farm fresh eggs, some delicious organic veggies and fruit. You’ll find it’s a wonderful habit to get into every Saturday. In future weeks, we will have a Food Truck serving breakfast and we hope to have buskers performing on acoustic instruments and a flea market table if folks reserve in advance.

Little Lending Library Needs Children’s Books

The Little Lending Libraries at the Village Hall are still a popular Village feature and we are so pleased to have this great program here in our community. The concept behind these libraries is a book-sharing honor system in which neighbors take and leave books of interest for one another.

Unfortunately, the large supply of children’s books that once graced our libraries has been depleted. If you have taken a children’s book from the libraries, we remind you to return them once your little readers have finished enjoying them or leave others in their place. We want all children in the community to be able to walk or bike up to the Hall to check out a new book to enjoy, but our lending libraries will only work if we all agree to take AND leave a book for the next family to enjoy.

We are always looking for donations, so please feel free to donate a book or two today!

Join the Environment & Energy Committee

The Village's Environment and Energy Committee works to help keep the Village green—promoting sustainable alternatives in our choices about energy use, landscaping and lawn care, recycling and eliminating waste, reducing pollution and creating a healthy environment for people and wildlife. If this is important to you, please think about joining our small but dedicated group of volunteers. We’d love to have your energy and ideas!

Grass Height Regulations

It’s spring and everyone’s grass is looking its best- and growing at astounding rates! Reminder that grass may not exceed ten inches in height and residents are responsible for maintenance of the grass both on their private property and in the abutting public right-of-way.

If you need assistance with this chore consider employing a Village teen. A list of teens available to provide yard work services is listed in the printed version of the monthly Crier.

Please be a Considerate Owner/Handler at theBrookville Road Dog Park

According to park rules (and Village Code), users of the dog park are required to attend to their dogs to prevent their dogs from continuously or uncontrollably barking. If a dog continues to bark, the owner/handler must remove the dog from the park. An occasional bark is expected, but constant barking is disturbing to other park users as well as the surrounding neighbors.

Police officers have been stopping by the park proactively to talk with visitors to make them aware of this rule. If you bring a dog to the park, please be considerate and calm your dog right away if it begins to bark.

Beach Drive Rehabilitation Project: Wise Road through

Rock Creek Park Remains Closed Until Fall 2019

The three year project to completely rehabilitate Beach Drive is in its final phase.

Wise Road NW between Oregon Avenue NW and Beach Drive NW has now been closed to drivers, pedestrians and bicyclists until fall. The closure is to allow construction on Beach Drive and to completely resurface Wise Road. The road will stay closed until the Beach Drive Rehabilitation project is complete. The project is scheduled to end in fall 2019.

Beach Drive is currently closed from Joyce Road NW to Wise Road NW and from Wise Road NW to the Maryland - District of Columbia Border. The closure applies to drivers, pedestrians, and bicyclists. Look under Work Updates on the Park Service’s trail closure mapfor alternate routes.

As landscape crews begin spring garden cleanups, please be sure they do not create the infamous “mulch volcanoes” which cause damage to trees.

Deciduous trees can benefit from the application of a 2-3” layer of mulch around the base of the tree. The mulch can help maintain moisture, reduce weed germination and protect trunks from lawn care equipment. Mulch materials can be shredded hardwood, pine bark, pine fines or compost. Unfortunately, over-zealous landscape crews frequently apply too much material and mound mulch against the trunk of the tree, hence the term “mulch volcanoes”. This is detrimental to the health of the tree and can cause serious decline. Remember not to pile the mulch around the stem of the tree.

Visit the following website for tree care tips, including an article detailing proper mulching technique:

Join the Crew; The Compost Crew

Food-waste recycling--otherwise known as “composting” is a great way to reduce your carbon footprint and greenhouse emissions while returning nutrients to our soil and food system.

The Village has partnered with The Compost Crew to provide low-cost household collection of food-waste. The Compost Crew provides each household with an airtight bin and compostable bags; all you have to do is separate your organic waste and leave the bin by your trash and recycling receptacles for collection on the designated day for weekly pick-up. The collected waste is processed at a composting facility in Maryland and, after six months of service, households can request that a portion of your contributed waste be returned in the form of rich, finished nutrient-rich soil.

For more information regarding the household composting collection service, including current rates, please visit the “Food Waste Recycling Program” page on the Village website under Quick Links on the homepage. The more households that sign-up,the cheaper the service is for all, so sign up today!

Are You Prepared?

As we have experienced during various seasonal events, it is important to be prepared for local weather emergencies. In order the assist residents in their preparedness, the Village in partnership with the Montgomery County Office of Emergency Management and Homeland Security (OEMHS) offer a number of helpful tools, plans and free alerts to assist and keep you informed.

Village Website and Blast Email System – Have you signed up for the Village’s blast email system? This is the Village's primary method of communication with residents. The Village has 2 email lists you can sign-up for:

Urgent News Alert – include messages such as criminal activity, neighborhood disruptions such as water main breaks, power outages and road closures and major weather events.

General News Alerts – include messages about Board and committee meetings, community events, changes in public services such as refuse/recycling collection schedules and upcoming road closures.

To sign-up for the blast email system visit the Village website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the tablet icon at the top of the Village’s homepage.

Alert Montgomery– Alert Montgomery is the official emergency communications service for Montgomery County, MD. During major crisis, emergency or severe weather events, Montgomery County will send event updates, warnings and instructions directly to you on any of your devices. To sign-up for Alert Montgomery please visit the OEMHS website www.montgomerycountymd.gov/oemhs and click on the “Alert Montgomery” link at the top of the page.

Family and Community Preparedness Information – Emergencies can take many forms and occur with or without warning. By taking a few simple steps now, you can ensure that you, your family and your community are better prepared to handle emergencies. To assist in your family planning, please visit the Village’s emergency preparedness page, www.chevychasevillagemd.gov/emergencyprep for helpful tools and links. Another important tool the Village has created to assist you in your preparedness efforts is our House Check Program. Always request a House Check when you are leaving town and ensure that your emergency contacts are up to date with the Village office.

For additional information please visit the Village’s website at www.chevychasevillagemd.gov and click on the “Are you prepared? – Emergency Preparedness Tips” link listed in the Quick Links on the homepage.